Tilted
by AingealCDG
Summary: Felix is overcome by grief, guilt, and anger, a task is asked of him as he takes part in a journey of self-realization.  Contains Dusk AND Lighthouse. Strong language will eventually appear and suggestive themes are also going to be present.
1. Chapter 1

The Beacon overflowed energy. It exerted itself around the immediate area before bursting into a blinding red light. The energy travelled at rapid speed to the south east, over the ice-capped landscape. From the aerie of the Lighthouse, the intense red energy could be seen clashing with what seemed to be other colours in the sky. As the energies clashed violently, they seemed to be taking a more solidified form. As the spherical form reacted with violent spasms; waves of colour began pouring out of its centre in all directions. As a small star formed before his eyes, Felix realised his goal had been complete; the unleashing of Alchemy. Looking away from him to view the damage this battle had done, it wasn't long before I looked back and he was gone.

By the time I found him, he had the blood-drenched body of that Proxian girl, Karst her name was, in his arms. She looked as though she pulled him closer to whisper something in his ear. At the time I didn't know what was said. It should have dawned on me but alas, it's hard to understand someone you thought you knew. Her brute of a companion was also there. He looked in great pain. But there was nothing I could do for him. If his own lighthouse couldn't heal him, what could I do?

A few days pass. The Hero of Prox, as he would rather avoid being called, had prepared the few belongings he had left in the home he had once shared with both Karst and Menardi. I could see from outside the window that he had to cry. He had to release his emotions, to become the pitiful urchin he was when he first arrived in the harsh environment. What this would do to change his actions never once crossed my mind. I felt it showed nothing more than regret that he had to leave.

[i]I drop my sword somewhere between three and four floors above me. I run to them; to [b]her[/b]. "Karst!" I see her cough at the sound of her name. Will she be alright? Who cares? She's alive! I help her up so she's in a sitting position in my arms.

"Fe...lix?" Agatio asks, hoping I can help him. "Fe... I can't move my legs."

"The beacon should have healed you, it's healed my parents." It was then I noticed my clothes were slowly getting damper. And warmer... I look down. I look up again and notice Agatio was no longer bleeding, rather he was heavily scarred, particularly around his stomach. From where Piers, my closest friend through all this, who I could entrust my life with, had sliced through the Dragon form Agatio had been forced into. After this blow he transformed back into the form I see before me, coincidentally, I actually did a mirror of the move on the dragon that was opposite Agatio. When this form transformed back, everything around me went black. [b]'What? No! Please no! In Alchemy's sake please no!'[/b] Karst crumpled up into a heap, screaming in agony. [b]'What have I done?'[/b] I rush to her side, grabbing her hand.

"...So warm. I forgot how it felt to touch you." She whispered to me. "You have to light the Beacon. If not for Weyard, if not for Prox, then for me. Do what we couldn't. Save our people." Nobody could understand her Proxian except myself and Piers. He kept quiet. Whether this was for some unrequited love he had for her or if this was because he saw the pain and anguish in my eyes I don't know. Whether I'll ask him I don't know, most likely on my deathbed if he's still around instead of returning to that bastard land of Lemuria.

As I snap back into reality, I notice my clothing getting warmer. In this weather? How is that possible? It can't be the beacon, though the lighthouse has increased its temperature drastically, it's red walls almost hot enough to leave a minor imprint upon bare flesh. Her blood. It's the only thing capable of giving such a feeling, the warmth I feel is different. It's not only her blood, it's her life, her Psynergy, her soul. As I cradle her head, she has one more moment of clarity. "Stop crushing my head you idiot. I have to tell you something. Ever since that night before you left 4 months ago, I have secretly wanted you to be told to stay, so we would never worry that the other lighthouses, and instead even more work would come from Saturos and Menardi. If they had more time to focus on the Lighthouses, maybe Menardi and Saturos would have also come back with you. I want you to know, I don't blame you or your friends for their deaths, but the Wise One for making us fight like the dogs he wants us to be." She coughs again. Blood creeping out from the side of her mouth. "Felix, before I go; kiss me. I want to leave this world in the knowledge of what we could've been."

Agatio bursts into this conversation. "Karst, you won't die! Felix! Help her! She loves you! Help her!" I notice a tear dropping even from his sturdy face. Had her death affected so many people? Had [b]my[/b] actions caused this? I can't think about that now. I try casting a healing spell as I kiss her. As our lips meet, I feel the energy leave my body and enter Karst. Nothing happens. I pull away and see nothing. I try again, instead of nothing this time, all I receive is a small lapping of her blood.

"Heh, relax Felix, you know I'm not in the mood." She jokes. She then sighs. "It's time for me to go. Just know that I love you, and I will always be with you." With one final exhale I don't have Karst in my arms, I have a body, one more to join the untold millions more I have no doubt walked over to get to this moment. As I gently place her down on the ground, I turn around. Piers, Jenna, Sheba, my mother and father, everyone else.

They can see the tears streaming down my dirty, dusty face. I still have her blood on my lip. As I turn away, I lick it off of my lip. Had anyone seen it, they would think it my own, instead I have just performed the action of a desperate man trying to cling onto something that is gone. I convince myself it's ok. It was her blood, you've kissed her many times before, and it's nothing more than a part of her meant to be joyous about.

The Jupiter Adept with Isaac handed me my sword I dropped a while back. He turns away soon after, most possibly out of fear of what I might do to him. As I hold the sword made from Orichalcon, I turn away, and with one hand, swing and smash it down on the floor. I cause an impact crater around the end of the sword. Sunshine, the blacksmith from the Taopo region towards the south, told me the sword was near indestructible because of its material, to the point he had to have a special material brought to the town to make the flames so intense before he could even forge the material. He had obviously never encountered me in a state of grief.

As the dust cleared, I look at the crater, 4 foot of the blade lay on the floor, only three inches of the blade plus the hilt were in my hand. It later turned out I had cracked a bone in my hand. I ask Piers and the buffoon Garet to bring Agatio out. "There's been enough death caused here. He doesn't deserve to be left to rot in this hellish place."[/i]

As I recall, it was a very sombre day in Prox. By the time they had hoisted Agatio off of the floor, with his legs now dead weight, and had made it outside, it was dusk outside. Jenna had been left to pick up the literal pieces, taking the handle from Felix's hand and picking up the blade on the floor. Felix had carried Karst, after regaining self control, to Puelle's door. In mere moments Felix had gone from the stern and almighty leader, to an emotional wreck. If one had an evil nature, they could possibly delight at this sight, but a fool would attempt to attack him.

When asked upon to explain what happened, it was Agatio who spoke first. A Dragon he had said, thought long extinct but instead had been lurking the upper levels of the lighthouse, where nobody dared venture. "Had Felix not shattered his sword breaking through the Dragon's scales and into its heart, we would surely be facing oblivion still. He lit the beacon but the power the beacon gave was not enough to fully heal us, it merely hand Karst a few moments, myself, I cannot walk, I fear never again, but the cost that has come from lighting the Lighthouses, this is nothing. We have lost 3 of our most powerful warriors to deaths icy grip, and I can no longer fulfil my duties on the battle field. Our last capable fighter isn't even one of us. Felix is our hero, he is our saviour."

The boy from Vale looked around sharply at Agatio, the look could have pierced even the Wise One's exterior. Puelle stood up, the tall Proxian cracked his neck, the meeting with Felix, Agatio, and Isaac having lasted until sunrise.

"Felix..." He said, his scales well hidden under the regal cloak, "I would not ask this of anyone. The man to your left is decrepit and the man to your right, whilst this would be penance for what he has done to us, he has paid his debt by aiding you in lighting the Mars beacon. You do not have to remain here if you feel it will bring you misery from being away from your friends and family, we have already exposed you to that enough in the last three years. But if we need your aid in the future, will you and your family aid us until we have anyone capable of taking over the mantle that Saturos left behind as the Hero of Prox?" The mention of Saturos sends a chill through the room, even Puelle can sense something.

Felix felt he could never live up to his expectations. As much as Saturos entrusted minor tasks to Felix, it was only on his last day did he think he needed to train him better. Isaac looked tense, the man who caused the storm that tore his life apart, albeit for a period of 3 years, mentioned in the same breath as the word hero. But he knew now was not the place to mention it.

Reluctantly, Felix took the title. He was no hero, just another murderer. "I don't know how I can live up to the expectations of a country."

"You've just lived up to the expectations of the entire world Felix, if I thought you couldn't do it, I would not be here now." The Proxian elder reassured. "Now return to your rooms tonight, we have much to do to move forward now."

I followed Felix for hours in the snow, he opted to 'go for some air'. As I shadowed him, it was obvious where he was going. As dusk had turned to night, night had turned to dawn, and the rapid energy that the Lighthouse emitted had melted [i]some[/i] of the snow around it. "A new dawn Felix. What will you do now?" I said. But he didn't hear me.


	2. Chapter 2  The Champion of Nothing

Before I continue, like most stories, stuff's going to get bad before it gets good. Some of you may lose interest after this chapter. Please don't. :

This weeks chapter includes:

Result of Proxshipping; Alcohol; more grief.

The days that followed the changing of the world, Felix dived deeper into the sea that is depression. I recall an incident that happened the day before Karst's funeral. A dishevelled man appeared from the house I had been watching. At first glance I looked at him I did not recognise him. He wasn't Proxian, yet in this place, he was topless. His boots where dirt covered, his trousers, caked in mud and blood. He had small scars across his torso, though none recent. Well I assume he knew death, self-inflicted or not, couldn't change anything. His hair was unkempt. As he took a few steps into the cold I realised who this man was. I never expected one death to have this much impact on him, of all people.

I continued stalking him, like a fell creature and its prey, until he came to the coast line Prox had with the rest of the ice cap before it lead off towards the vast mountain range with Angara. We both noticed in the distance, no more than a mile away, that some Proxians were loading a boat. Not a grand boat you would have seen in Babi's fleet, but still, quite regal. Perhaps Puelle was leaving on a diplomatic journey now that the ice shelf had melted. It was then Felix began walking towards the boat.

As I strolled towards where he stopped he spoke to the person who it seemed, was in charge. This was no ordinary boat. This was a Proxian funeral boat, the kind you have set on fire at sea. It was here that the workers realised that it was Felix and not a wanderer. "Felix! What are you doing out here in your skin? Do you want to die?"

"No! I want to bring her back! I want to bring everyone back!" I could tell from his words he had some substance in his system, but his movements were well camouflaged with fatigue. As I left and returned to Prox an hour before Felix I went to his home. There were bottles of a local spirit; they called it Dragon's Blood, no clues for why they gave it the name.

It was a week, as a Lemurian ship sails, after the funeral that the party had reached the shores of Angara. In the climax of Felix's stay in Prox, his actions diverted everyone's attention from Mt Aleph and its immediate area. By the time they had left the Lighthouse that night, Vale had been destroyed in the blink of an eye. The Wise One however did something benevolent for a change, and had everyone evacuate the town, as some put it, a mere day before the sky burnt with colour.

Felix had been inconsolable. That was until I noticed something. Since he had a second meeting with Puelle, he had a bundle in his arms. Even on that ship, from my memory, the bundle never left his arms. Felix moved of course, I wasn't stalking him when nature called. Every time he looked down, he smiled. Had he stolen something to bring back the one he wanted? I couldn't delve into his mind, but I could sense a power from it.

As we all disembarked, we had the revelation that was the end of Vale. Nobody had prepared themselves for it, nobody had even thought about it. There were only two other people who knew what that bundle was, I myself never looked deep into it, he wants his love but she's beyond unattainable, who wouldn't want something that could bring them back? I left him that night to reacquaint with his towns folk, but this would only be a temporary break from my new addiction; Felix, the Champion of Prox.

The next month after returning home moved without incident, Felix became a recluse yet again, and I would watch his home from afar. The only noticeable thing worth mentioning was that the only one concerned for his well being seemed to be Piers. Could they be planning something? Or something more intimate? No, that's nonsense, with the reaction he gave over Karst's death, it couldn't be an affair between the two.

Things changed one night though. Two women entered the house with cloaks, I wanted to know who they were and what their goal was but I realised there was a pattern. The only people who were visiting Felix were the only people he trusted from that day on the Lighthouse, Piers, his parents and to a degree the master healer of the group, Mia. What where they conspiring?

One night my curiosity gave in. I walked to the window of the small temporary house. And what I saw made me all the more intrigued with Felix. It seemed that on the journey back, the bundle he had been carrying was a baby, a [i]Proxian[/i] baby. Who's was it? I listened into the room. Felix was speaking to it. It turned out to be a girl. A blue skinned Proxian female was quite rare, it normally meant a sign of greater healing abilities. But there were features I recognised instantly.

"I still haven't given you a name. I assumed Puelle would. Hmm... I could call you Jenna. But you'd get confused when my sister is called. Mahendra... That could work. Similar to your mother's name, and you look similar to your father. Heh, when you're old enough to swing a sword at the very least, I'll teach you more about them. Not a day goes by where I don't think about Saturos and Menardi. Not. A. Day." He pauses for a minute to sigh. "I could've been your uncle. Infact, some would say I am." He stops again. Felix you dog, a single parent? To a Proxian no less. I think I might stick around.


	3. Chapter 3 Madness

I often wonder what things would be like if the Lighthouses were never lit, or rather, opposed to being lit. Would I live to see Weyard's doom imminent? Or would there be another way to stop it from crumbling into nothing? I also look at the human cost. Saturos and Menardi would raise their daughter alongside a couple of other kids, most likely boys. Isaac would live out a quiet existence in Vale with his woman, who he travelled the entire world over for. Felix may have eventually returned to Vale once he grew tired of Prox, his parents and their friend Kyle likewise. Karst may have joined him if she wanted to venture outside the Ice wall. Agatio would still be walking. The loud redhead boy would still be an idiot. Oh wait, that last part did happen...

I noticed in the few months that lead to the first anniversary of the lighting of the Mars Beacon, that Felix was relishing the challenges of parenthood. He'd also developed a close relationship with Sheba, the blond Jupiter adept; helping him with the child would no doubt endear her to him. And it was working. Until that was, a hot prickly night during the summer.

A hot night, no doubt made hotter by the fact it was the first real summer after the Golden Sun event. As night slowly descended upon the City of Kalay, I went for a stroll. I hadn't really followed Felix's movements since I learned what his "bundle" was, because anyone can see it was going to be three years, maybe more, I don't know, of wiping a baby's backside. Nonetheless, I resumed my observation on a whim.

I was strolling one night when I saw Felix and Sheba walking by the Palace, baby Mahendra in Felix's arms. There looked to be tears in both of their eyes. What had transpired earlier was 24 hours of madness. This was also the day that I decided to play on said whim.

Sheba, having no obligation too, had decided to stay in Kalay to help Felix, as I previously mentioned. But she had an ulterior motive. She was a victim of what you and I call unrequited love. If you know what this is, it is when you feel love to someone only to not have said feelings reciprocated by the target of you affections.

But back to the 24 hours of madness; it'd been a year and a half since Felix had returned as a surrogate father, Mahendra had built up her first few words; sword, Mendra, her first word dada, mama, and the one I found somewhat the most adorable; Fewix all being the most prominent one.

Sheba had picked up Mahendra as she was due a feed. This would be where it all began to enter the realm of madness. As Sheba began feeding the Proxian spawn, Mahendra decided to throw the food in the air. From my recollection of youths in this infant stage, this wasn't uncommon. But Sheba laughed. Felix was also in the room, preparing to eat himself. He couldn't help but smile at the comical sight.

Sheba sighed, then she spoke. "Mahendra..." she said, with one of those tones which carries the sound of the last syllable for a second or two. This was the moment when Sheba was first recognized as Mama. "Sobby Mama..." the infant said with a chuckle, obviously seeing the comical side over what she had actually called Sheba. Felix's smile was lost.

Sheba turned to him, not knowing what reaction to expect, but she couldn't help but smile, hope in her eyes. "Felix... she..."

"I know..." he got up as he said this. "I didn't think she would see you as the mother figure in her life so soon..." He went to the window. "Damn it's hot in here..." I could not help but marvel at his body language. He looked as though he had conflicting thoughts in his head... the thoughts that decide whether to tell her to 'get the hell out of our lives because she knew damn well she wasn't her mother' or the kind that say 'marry me, we can raise her together as if she were our own like we have been doing for the last 18 months!'

The awkward silence crept into the room; I looked from Felix to Sheba, and back from her to him. Then I looked at the child. She too was mystified as to the mood in the room. Felix was the first to move. "I should clean up the dinner..." The look on his face was rather depressing. I did not know whether it was out of the fear of getting attached to someone or of guilt for moving on and finding feelings for someone else.

"I should go..." Sheba said, the look of hope fading away, out into the burning night skies. I wanted to laugh at this point. But alerting of my presence in such an intrusive situation would be ill advised. As she went to the door, Mahendra began to reach out to her. "Mama! Mama!" she cried, tears beginning to form. She looked at Felix before looking back and beginning the horrible noise of a child bawling. I took leave of my observation.

I was only a few footsteps ahead of Sheba before she left the house. I walked away towards what was known as McCoy's Path, it was the route he returned to Kalay through after his stay in Lunpa. Yet I turn around to the sound of "Wait!" I turn around out of instinct to find Felix, dripping in sweat from the heat, that and running with a small child in his arms towards Sheba. "Please, don't go. Stay tonight." Had my ears deceived me? Had he truly asked someone [i]not[/i] his beloved Karst to stay with him?

Sheba responded immediately, "Yes." All she had to say at that moment in time were 3 letters.

* * *

From the next chapter, things will finally begin to justifying why this is Rated M.


End file.
